As the clock struck midnight and New Zealand officially went into alert level 1, the country's chief scientist raised a toast.
Professor Juliet Gerrard is Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's chief science advisor and a professor at the University of Auckland's biological and chemical sciences departments.
![Professor Juliet Gerrard. Photo / Greg Bowker](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/5IKBYCFUHTEJJCIWBSGHB25LXQ.jpg?auth=9890a17cbc24435a3e3de3d4050b39f7b84bc9a52a87ca7ccbffc8a9eb9be113&width=16&height=10&quality=70&smart=true)
She is among a team of scientific and medical experts considered instrumental in helping various government decisions in relation to the country's reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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